


Keep Your Friends Close, But Your Enemies Closer

by bringingglory



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Friendship, I need help, I'm actually trash, Light Swearing, Miraculous Ladybug - Freeform, enemies au, fluffy af
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-27 03:01:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7600885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bringingglory/pseuds/bringingglory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ladybug and Chat Noir aren't friends.</p><p>Marinette and Chat Noir though...they're getting there.</p><p>Prepare for shenanigans.</p><p>*note* I changed the description because it seemed kind of cheesy and made the story sound really dark. I didn't expect how fluffy it would become.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exposition

Chat Noir was losing. 

Of course. Typical that just minutes after fighting an akuma, small scratches and bruises still on her face and body (the ones that her miraculous light had missed), Ladybug wasn’t tired. She didn’t even look worn out.

Yes, she was stronger. Yes, she was faster. And yes, she was better. 

But Chat was more motivated to keep fighting. That had to count for something. Right?

Well, the cheering might help her morale a bit. And the booing did hinder his morale a bit.

“Go, Ladybug!”

“You can do it!”

“Kick him back to the alley where he belongs!”

Those were for her.

“Go away, vermin!”

“No one wants you here!”

“Go back and hide in Papillon’s lair!”

Those were for him.

Chat was fresh, just recently loosed on the pest. Hawkmoth had told him to go out and fight Ladybug. So he went out and fought Ladybug. He dove toward her waist in an attempt to knock her down, but she flung her yoyo at his face, leaving an angry red diagonal line from his temple to his jawline. He extended his baton and wrapped the string around it. Giving the baton a hard tug, Ladybug stumbled forward. Her earrings were still beeping. Any second now and Chat would find out who was under the mask.

Ladybug must have known, too, because she hadn’t fought the akuma with this much enthusiasm. 

“Come on, Bugaboo, you can do better than that.” Chat taunted.

Ladybug latched onto the baton, just as it was retracting. Foot extended and aimed toward his face, she launched herself forward, sending him to the ground. “You’re right, I can.”  
She grabbed his baton and pressed it against his neck, effectively pinning him to the ground. When he tried to sit up, air squeezed out of his throat, sending him into a coughing fit.  
Ladybug sat down on his chest, straddling him. She smiled. “Stay down, kitty.” 

Chat leered at her. His eyes drifted from her smug face to her earrings.

Two dots left.

The smile fell from her face and she watched his eyes for a few moments before finally standing up.

Chat was on his feet immediately, leaping toward her. He swung his baton like a bat at her head, Ladybug ducking at the last minute. He gritted his teeth. 

A voice whispered in his ear. “You just don’t know when you’ve been beaten, don’t you?”

Chat spun around and lunged. His arms grasped at empty air and suddenly Ladybug was on top of him, he lying on his stomach. He felt the baton wrenched out of his hands and the cold metal pressing into his neck again, arms pinned underneath her legs.

 _“Stay down.”_ She hissed.

_Beep beep._

He twisted his neck to look at her.

One dot left.

Something like panic flashed across her face.

Chat smirked. “Well, if you want me to stay down, you’d have to keep me here, wouldn’t you? But then I’d only have to wait a minute to find out who you really are.” He watched her face contort in irritation. “Make a choice, buggy.” 

Ladybug watched him, but her eyes were far away. The civilians watched in absolute silence. Chat almost thought he’d won, until she took the baton and clonked him on the back of the head.

 

**=o=**

 

Chat woke up many hours later. He could only tell because he’d fought Ladybug around noon, and the moon was up now. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before he saw his baton a few feet away. Ladybug must have dropped it in her panic to run away.

Chat moved to reach for it when he realized there were thick ropes keeping his limbs stuck to his body.

_I hate her._

The ropes were tight, but not unescapable. Either she or some of the civilians had tied him up. Most likely Ladybug, though. No way the common person could tie knots so intricately. She’d probably rushed on the ropes though, too. It only took a few minutes of wriggling and twisting before Chat finally freed himself from fibrous prison.

_I hate her._

He grabbed his baton and looked up at the top of the buildings.

_I hate her._

Something hot prickled behind his eyes.

_I hate her._

He slammed his baton into the ground, extending it so he was pushed upward, up to the flat roofs of the buildings in front of him. His boots barely touched the top before he was running, racing across the rooftops.

_I hate her I hate her I hate her I hate her I hate her._

His feet pounded rhythmically across the rooftops, thumping in time with his inner mantra.

 _I._ Step. _Hate._ Step. _Her._ Step.

He didn’t want to go home, yet. Couldn’t face another reprimand for another failure. Another, _“You let her get away? You incompetent fool!”_ Another, _“Don’t you remember why this is important?”_ Another, _“Don’t you want her to come home?”_

Something hot splashed onto his cheek. He ignored it.

He wondered how long he could run before he tired. As a superhero, he had better stamina. He could run faster, longer, could twist his body in ways he normally couldn’t, could do many things he normally couldn’t. Maybe he’d finally test it out tonight, he had been wanting to for a while.

Nah, he wouldn’t do that to Plagg. Not to his only companion. 

A weird, lovely smell caught his much more sensitive nose. Chat sniffed, trying to find where it came from.

He slammed his heels into the pavement to stop, then quickly changed direction, running towards the smell.

Chat was getting closer, he could tell because he was starting to make out the smells. Croissants, baguettes, baked pastries. He stopped suddenly when he realized where he was.

The Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisseri. 

He stood on the building across the street from it. 

What was he doing here? Was he such an animal that he came here purely because it smelled good?

Chat inhaled deeply and felt the muscles in his shoulders loosen unwillingly.

The Bakery smelled warm. Could something smell warm? It felt warm, it felt homey. It also smelled really, really good.

He dropped to the floor, cross his legs. His baton retracted and he stowed it on his belt. Maybe he could sit here for a while, rest. His muscles were more exhausted than he thought.

_Clop, clop._

And just like that, he tensed all over. His first thought was: _Ladybug._ Was she here? Was she sneaking up on him? If she was sneaking up on him, why was she so loud?

Then, a figure appeared on the balcony of the bakery. Chat could make out two short pigtails and pink pajamas.

_Who’s that?_

He stood abruptly, mostly out of surprise.

The figure froze. Chat froze, too. He didn’t want to move, in case he scared the figure away. Then, slowly, they started to back up toward the stairs behind them. They were leaving.

An alarm went off in his head.

“Wait!” He called.

The figure tensed, giving him enough time to vault across the gap separating them and land on the balcony.

A high-pitched screech escaped from their mouth, giving him the notice that he was currently standing on a girl’s balcony while she was in her pajamas. 

Despite himself, Chat felt his cheeks heat up.

“Wh-who are you?” Her voice was cautious. “What are you doing on my balcony?” 

“Um, I-”

Another yelp. “Chat Noir?”

He cringed. “Er, yes.”

Suddenly, the end of a broom was under his chin. “What do you want? Why are you here?” The voice turned serious.

“Um,” to be honest, “I was just curious.”

“Curious of what?” As the broom was jammed deeper up his throat, the tone became harshly accusatory. 

“Just,” he swallowed, “what someone was doing out so late.” 

“Oh.” He thought the grip on the broom relaxed a bit, but then the girl tensed again. “Well, are you here because of Le Papillon?” 

“What? No! I swear, I’m just curious!” He clasped his hands together. “I promise, my lady.” 

With his night vision, he could see how blue the girl’s eyes were, as could he see how narrowed they were in suspicion. 

Slowly, the tip of the broom was lowered away from his chin. She kept it close by her side, and her feet were shifted in a stance that made her look like she was preparing for the possible attack.

“How did you come _here_ of all places?” 

“I, well-” He was sure he was blushing. “Well, I sort of smelled something and followed it…”

“You came here because your nose told you to?” She said, flatly.

“Er.”

She threw her hands in the hair and sighed. “I’ve heard rumors that you’re actually an animal, and I think you’ve just confirmed it.”

Chat laughed nervously.

He watched as she moved to the deck chair and flopped down into it. He was still standing, back pressing against the railing, moonlight on his face. Tension hung thick in the air, and it was hard to keep watching her with the moon shining in his eyes.

The girl turned to look at him and her eyes widened.

He suddenly felt self-conscious. “What?” 

“Are- are you-?” She blinked rapidly. “Um, areyouokay?”

“What?”

“Um, it looks like you were crying.”

His hand flew to his face and the quickly wiped the tears that had nestled on his cheeks. He averted his eyes. “Um, no.”

“Did something happen?”

He hated how concerned she suddenly sounded. Where was the earlier hostility?

“No.”

“Chat…”

He cringed again. Pity was something he could live without.

“Look, I’m sure you saw what happened earlier today-”

“That Ladybug kicked your butt?”

A strangled laugh escaped his throat. “Yeah.”

“And, you’re upset about that?”

“Yes. No.” He sighed. “No. It’s complicated.”

The girl was watching him again, less out of caution and more out of curiosity. 

“Maybe I should get going.” Chat started to climb over the railing.

“Wait!” The girl reached out like she wanted to grab his arm, but she was still on the other side of the balcony, and she suddenly looked disgusted that she’d reached out to him on instinct. “Um, if you want to talk about it…”

“Nah, I’d rather not burden you.” 

There was a steady silence.

“Look, I should go.”

The girl didn’t move.

“Alright well-”

“I come out here to think.” She said quickly. “Usually very late. I go back inside at midnight, latest.”

He lifted an eyebrow.

“Just so you know. What I was doing out here, I mean.” She paused, contemplating. “I think a lot, most nights actually.”

He narrowed his eyes.

She looked up and their eyes connected. They held each other’s gaze for a second, then, “Goodnight, Chat Noir.”

She moved away from the chair and climbed back into her room.

_Goodnight._

Chat replayed their conversation, trying to decipher what it meant. A small thought formed in the back of his mind. In her last few words, she was offering him something.

An invitation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, yeah, that kind of sucked. Hopefully it'll get better in the later chapters. If anyone reads, thank you, thank you so much for giving my fic a chance.


	2. I Want Her Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ladybubs has thoughts and Catnerd is sad

“He wants you in his office.” 

No “hello,” no “welcome back.” Typical, “he has business with you.”

Nathalie led him down the familiar path to his father’s office. She inquired about what his father might want. He doubted she even knew what really went on in that office and just assumed they talked about his modeling and his schooling.

They stopped in front of a set of large double doors. Nathalie knocked twice before receiving a muffled, “come in,” to which she pushed open the door and ushered him into the office.

Inside, his father sat at his desk, hunched over scattered papers and scribbling furiously. When he and Nathalie came to a stop, Gabriel Agreste finally looked up.

“Adrien,” he said.

“Hello, father.” Adrien said.

Gabriel looked beyond his son and nodded at Nathalie. Adrien could feel Nathalie’s eyes shifting back and forth between them. Finally, she turned around and walked out of the office, heels clicking against the floor.

“Adrien, go get the door.”

“Yes, father.” He turned around and shut the door. He returned to his spot in front of the desk and waited for his father to speak.

“I see today’s expedition didn’t go as planned.”

Adrien shook his head. “No, it did not.” 

“Where were you this evening?”

Adrien swallowed. “I-” He stopped himself before he could say ‘um.’ His father hated that. “Well, while Ladybug and I were fighting, she knocked me out, and I only just woke up.” 

Gabriel didn’t narrow his eyes when he was suspicious, like most people. Instead, he kept his gaze steady, unyielding, until the other person cracked. 

“I sent you out at noon. Eight hours seems like an awfully long time to be knocked out.”

“She hit me really hard.”

Gabriel stood and Adrien tensed. He walked around his son and seemed to be examining the back of his head. “Hm, I see no large bumps.”

Adrien said nothing.

“I’m glad to see you’re okay.”

That was a lie. Adrien narrowed his eyes but didn’t dare look at his father. 

“Since she knocked you out, I’m assuming you don’t have her miraculous.”

“No, father.”

Gabriel sighed. 

Adrien hated that sigh. It was the same amount of mocking disappointment as it was dramatic so Adrien knew how disappointed his father was. “I see.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” He hadn’t raised his voice, but Gabriel suddenly sounded much louder. “Adrien, do you know how important this is?”

“Yes.”

“Do you realize that without Ladybug’s miraculous, our plan won’t work?”

“Yes.”

“And do you realize your apologies mean nothing?”

“Yes.”

“Then don’t waste your breath with them.” Gabriel returned to his desk. “I’ve had enough disappointment for one day. You may return to your room.”

Adrien clenched his fists but nodded. He was tense all the way until he was outside in the hallway, then something small and black darted out of his jacket.

“Man, I’m _tired._ ”

Adrien groaned. “Ugh, _Plagg._ ”

“Whaaaat? Do you realize how long you were in that transformation? And then all the _running_ you did?” Plagg collapsed on top of Adrien’s head. “Get me some Camembert.”

Adrien rolled his eyes and headed to the kitchen.

“So, Ladybug.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Adrien stopped in front of the fridge. 

“I mean, she usually kicks your butt but _today_ -”

Adrien shook his head violently, sending his kwami flying. 

“Hey!”

“Look, I don’t want to talk about it.” 

Plagg didn’t say anything, so Adrien went back to looking for the Camembert.

“What about that girl on the balcony?”

“What about her?”

“I don’t know...there was something weird about her.”

Adrien found a container in the farthest corner of the fridge. “Like what?”

“Like...I don’t know. It’s hard to explain.”

He grabbed the container and straightened. “Helpful.” He opened the container and watched as Plagg started to devour the cheese. Adrien tried to think of balcony girl, and what might be different about her.

Well for one thing, she held up a broom ready to whoop him if he attacked, instead of cowering in fear like most people. Adrien mentioned that to Plagg.

“Well, some people are just exceptionally brave.” Plagg wiped his tiny mouth. “But that’s not it.”

What else? Adrien contemplated for a while, coming up with nothing. “I really don’t have anything.”

Plagg shrugged as he finished the last of his Camembert.

“Are you done?” Adrien asked, flatly.

The kwami nodded and flew over to Adrien’s shoulder. Stowing the container away, Adrien started toward his room, dragging his feet up the stairs. He really shouldn’t have ran that much.

 

**=0=**

 

Ladybug was rattled.

Maybe it was wrong for her to assume that because he worked with Le Papillon, Chat Noir was also a heartless monster. In the heat of the fight- while trying not to get her eyes scratched out and while trying to keep him down before his claws could touch her ears- she sometimes forget how young Chat Noir was, how young they both were. It was hard to determine his exact age, but judging by his voice cracks and his height, the boy behind the mask most likely was not an adult.

She shook her head. Kid or not, Chat Noir was just another puppet of Le Papillon. Another akuma, except not. He definitely not an akuma. He was working for Le Papillon of his own _free will_. If he would willingly help _that_ monster, what kind of person could he be?

 _One without morals,_ she told herself. _Another monster._

But then she saw his face with tears, and he had never looked more human.

What was wrong with her?

It was late. Her weirdest thoughts usually emerged at night. Already deciding to skip on night patrol (in case Chat Noir might still be out and prowling), Ladybug dropped back into her room and called it a night.

 

**=0=**

 

“YOU INCOMPETENT, BUMBLING, IDIOT OF A SON!”

Chat thought sometimes that the akumas not only amplified the negative emotions of its victims, but also the emotions of the man who sent them.

“I’m sorry.”

“AM I THE _ONLY_ ONE WHO TAKES THIS SERIOUSLY?” A table flew and shattered against the wall. 

“Father-”

Le Papillon turned on him. “You would think, that after failing, time and time and time and time and _time_ again, you would finally learn from your mistakes. Instead, you get beat by Ladybug time and time and time and time and _time_ again.” 

“I know, it’s just-”

“Hm?” He strode forward until Chat’s face was up to his chest. “Just _what_?”

Chat swallowed. “Just-” Where was his explanation?

 _She’s better than me._ The thought popped into his head first. _More people than one are counting on her. More people believe in what she’s doing._

“I’m trying-”

“You’re _trying?!_ ” Le Papillon raised a hand. Chat flinched. “Maybe you should actually _do_ something instead of _try_ to do something.”

Le Papillon went back to pacing around the dark room.

Chat stood, frozen. _He almost hit me._ He didn’t dare move a muscle. _When did he…?_ When did he become a monster? When had he suddenly become a stranger?

_When Mom disappeared._

Chat’s eyes burned.

Le Papillon turned suddenly, probably sensing the sudden amount of grief radiating off of his son. His eyes flashed in irritation, seeing Chat’s watering eyes.

“What are you crying about?” He hissed.

His father wasn’t like this usually, not when he was Gabriel. Everything was worse as Le Papillon.

“I-” Chat couldn’t speak.

“ _What?_ ”

He had to squeeze the words from his throat. “I want Mom to come back.” 

A pause. The air seemed to still. Seconds passed before Chat dared to inhale.

_SMACK!_

Chat stumbled back.

“YOU ABSOLUTE _CHILD_! DON’T YOU THINK I WANT HER TO COME BACK?! WHY DO YOU THINK WE’RE DOING THIS!” Le Papillon stopped suddenly and took a deep breath. “Right now, you go out and find Ladybug. Do whatever you must to get her miraculous.”

He couldn’t be _serious_ , could he? 

“But-”

“LEAVE!”

Chat yelped and jumped backward, but Le Papillon was already pacing again. Each footstep against the polished ground made his cheek tingle. 

He didn’t hesitate.

Chat ran out of the lair and jumped out the nearest window.

 

**=0=**

 

She was getting ready for patrol. _Hopefully,_ she wouldn’t get interrupted again, not like last time. God, she was an _idiot_. What was she even thinking? That cryptic message in her words? Why did she even say them? Why had she even considered saying them in the first place/

Maybe she had felt sorry for him. But now she was regretting it. A direct invitation to _Chat Noir_ to come to her balcony whenever he felt sad? 

_I’m an idiot._

In her pajamas, she climbed onto the roof again. Beside her, Tikki shot up into the sky.

“Are you ready?”

She shook her head. “Give me a second.” She crawled into her deck chair and watched the stars.

“What are you thinking about?”

She sighed. “Remember when Chat Noir was on my balcony?”

“Ah.”

“I can’t believe myself!” Her arms momentarily flailed in the air before falling her her face heavily. “Ow.”

“What? That you offered him a place to come to when he felt sad?”

“That I offered him _anything_ at _all_!”

Tikki flew closer to her head. “You were being a good person, nothing wrong with that.” 

“But it’s _Chat Noir_!” 

“You know-”

“Ugh, Tikki-”

“Ladybug and Chat Noir were always meant to be allies.”

“Tikki please-”

“There’s nothing wrong with helping out a potential friend.”

She sat up. “Ladybug and Chat Noir might have been friends in _other_ lives, but not _this_ one.” She exhaled. “And besides, how could I _possible_ become allies with someone who so _willingly_ works with Le Papillon, a man who exploits people’s-”

“ _Sh!_ ” Tikki dove behind her neck. “ _Listen._ ”

_Clop clop clop clop._

Footsteps.

Boots against rooftops. 

Tikki flew out from behind her head and dove back into the room. A second later, Chat Noir landed on her balcony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> Two chapters in 1 day? What?!  
> Jk, it's not that impossible. For me it is though, kinda, I get distracted a lot.  
> Thank you to whoever is reading this, and thank you for continuing.  
> I suck at author's notes.  
> Confession: I'm not sure what happened in this chapter.  
> Final thought fragment: Maybe I'll change the chapter title later. Maybe I won't. Only time will tell.


	3. A Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the budding friendship of Marichat hath begun

When his feet touched the floorboards, she recoiled.

Chat Noir flinched. “Um, hello.”

“What are you doing here?” She snapped.

“I, um,” She could see him physically fumble for words. “Sorry.”

She eyed him cautiously, taking in the tensed shoulders and wandering eyes. His hands fidgeted as he tossed his baton back and forth. Clearly, he was uncomfortable.

She felt some sort of dark satisfaction deep down.

_Good, be uncomfortable._

She immediately reprimanded herself. She wasn’t the kind of person to enjoy some else’s troubles, unlike Le Papillon and his underdog. Er, cat.

Just to prove that (to herself, mostly), she stood up and lightened her tone, “It’s okay.” She considered his face. “Are you okay?”

Chat Noir nodded. His face was slightly red, but she didn’t think he embarrassed. 

“Can I, um, can we just talk?”

She raised an eyebrow. “About what?”

“I don’t know.” He tucked his baton away. “Anything, really.”

She took a step forward, eyes on his face and trying to see if he had been crying again. No, his face was dry. Really, what was he doing here?

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to be out at night?” She inquired. “I mean, what if Ladybug’s out patrolling?”

Fear flashed in his eyes. “Er…”

She waited.

“If I see her, I’ll avoid her.” He said. “I can’t deal with her tonight.”

“Why not?”

Chat Noir sighed. “Well, obvious reason: she totally kicked my ass today, and I’m still massively sore.” He turned and looked at the black sky. “Le Papillon was pissed when I returned, and he said, ‘Go and find Ladybug and do whatever you have to to get her miraculous.’ So, if I do see her, her first instinct is to fight me- and I guess it’s my first instinct, too- and then I probably will have to at least _attempt_ to grab her miraculous.” 

She stared at him.

“And if she’s out patrolling, it means she’s fresh, and her transformation won’t run out.” He let out a pitiful laugh. “Honestly, the only reason I get out of our fights alive is because she doesn’t have the _time_ to keep me down.” 

“Why do you think that?”

Chat Noir shrugged. “She’s a good fighter, much better than me.” 

She gave him a look.

“What? Come on, don’t you see how good she is? You must have seen at least one of our fights.”

Yes, she had. All of them, actually.

“You should give yourself more credit.” She said. “You’ve fought her many times, and yet you’re still here.”

Something similar to a smile grew on his face. “Ha ha, funny.” It wasn’t quite there, though.

They didn’t speak for a while.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Huh?”

“You usually come up here to think, right? What’s on your mind?”

She pursed her lips. “Well...I was just thinking about the last time you were here.” 

“Oh?”

“And...you, I guess. You’re different than when you’re with Ladybug.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like…” Oh god, she was going to hate herself for saying this but, “you don’t seem like a bad person.”

Chat Noir laughed. “I guess she just brings out the worst in me.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What’s the best in you?”

He full on grinned at her, setting off all sorts of alarms in her head. “Right now, with you.”

“Oh, aren’t you flirty?”

He laughed. “I’m serious. I like talking to you.” 

She didn’t know how to take his confession. 

Chat Noir chuckled. “Alright, sorry. That was weird. What I mean is: I spend most of my time with Le Papillon and his scheming, fighting Ladybug, or being confined in my house as a civilian. Talking to someone is really refreshing. And since you happen to be that someone, it therefore makes sense that talking to you makes me feel better. I don’t mean to come onto you or anything, I swear.”

She snorted. “Okay, now I’m less disturbed. Thank you for reassuring me.” 

He looked at her sideways. 

Suddenly, she became aware. Chat Noir had _flirted_ with her, they had been joking, like friends or something bizarre like that. What was happening? Why was he so different? Why wasn’t he acting like the Chat Noir she knew? 

She clapped her hands together. “Well, good talk. Now you should really get going before Ladybug catches you are Le Papillon wonders where you are or-”

“Wait.” Chat Noir straightened and turned fully on her. “I don’t want to go back, yet. Let’s keep talking.”

She bit her lip. “But-” She had patrol. She needed to go. She needed _him_ to go.

“I’ll be careful.” He said. “Tell me about yourself.”

She shook her head immediately. Like hell she’d be giving away facts about her civilian self to her archenemy. 

“Come on, please?”

She shook her head again.

“Fine.” He paused. “Let’s make a deal.” She raised an eyebrow. “I’ll tell you about myself, too, and for every...three- sure, three- three things I tell you, you can tell me one thing about yourself. It can be something small or not small or whatever. What do you think?”

Was he really that desperate to keep the conversation going?

She turned the offer over in her mind, weighing the pros and cons of him staying and talking. It’d be better if he left. She could transform, go on patrol, and hunt him down. But if he stayed…

If he stayed, they would keep talking. He would tell her about himself. She would learn about his possible weaknesses and strengths, his motives.

Oh yes, that would be much better.

“Weeeell,” She tapped her chin, putting on a show. “I gueeess…”

His face brightened unexpectedly. “Really?”

Her stomach churned. “Yes…”

“Yesssss.” He grinned broadly, splitting his face in half with his mouth. “Alright, three things about me: I watch anime, I’m allergic to feathers, and...I’m fourteen years old.”

_Allergic to feathers: noted._

She realized they were the same age. She frowned.

“Your turn.”

“Um,” She fumbled. “I...what should I say?”

“Anything, anything I don’t know.”

“Which would be a lot of things, since we’re strangers.”

Chat Noir thought for a moment. “I don’t know your name.”

She hesitated. Giving out her name felt like a risk. But then again, he already knew where she lived, so it probably wasn’t that big of a deal. She took a deep breath. “Okay, my name is Marinette.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> This chapter is a bit shorter than the last two, but I feel like this was a good place to stop. A note on their ages: the estimate for their ages on the wikia is 13-15. I just went with 14 because it was in the middle.  
> Gahh, I'm actually really excited. I finally got the ball rolling.  
> Anyway, thank you to whoever is reading this. Thank you for giving it a chance. Thank you for continuing despite my scattered thoughts and mediocre chapter titles.


	4. Fights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, there's fighting.

Why did he keep coming back?

This was the eighth time now, and Marinette had learned plenty of small, useless things about him. She’d learned he was homeschooled, he had a job, despite being so young, and he could play piano. 

She had also learned he was somewhat of a jokester. After their third meet up, he started telling her bad cat jokes. She had an awful feeling he had looked them up some time before their meeting just so he could assault her with, “What’s a cat’s favorite color? Purrrple!”

He was so absurdly _ordinary_ for a cat boy villain. 

“I really like croissants.” He had once said. “I think I’ve eaten one here before, it was really good.”

Her eyes bugged out. “You’ve _eaten_ our food?!”

Chat Noir gave her an amused grin. “Of course.”

But despite all the random facts she was acquiring about him, Marinette found that she was knowing him less and less. When she had her routine post-akuma battle with him, Chat Noir was the same, cruel-mouthed, vicious person he always was. Not the lonely, confused boy that latched onto the first conversationalist he encountered.

What was happening?

“How did you meet Le Papillon?”

He never answered the personal questions.

“Why do you let him use you?”

They seemed to pain him.

“Do you believe in what he’s doing?”

But then, why did he keep coming back?

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He stuck out his tongue.

“I would, actually. It’s why I asked.” 

“You’re a dork.”

“ _You’re_ a weeb.” 

Everytime he laughed, Marinette could feel her veins icing over. Tikki confronted her after most meetings, something about, “I thought you were enemies.” “Do you like talking to him?” “Ladybug and Chat Noir were meant to work _together_.” She remembered after their fifth meeting, Tikki had said, “Looks like you two are becoming close friends.”

“No, we’re not!” She protested, completely appalled. 

“You’re getting a lot closer to him, you know.”

Marinette crossed her arms. “How do you know?”

“You know a lot about him.”

“So does the internet.”

“You tease him.”

“So does Ladybug.” 

“He knows you.”

Marinette glowered. _This_ was why she didn’t like to argue with a five plus millennia old power-giving deity.

“It doesn’t mean we’re becoming close.”

“Then what’s happening?”

What _was_ happening?

“What’s on your mind?”

Chat Noir asked that a lot now. Whenever it looked like Marinette was somewhere else, staring off into space after he gave another weird response on how he ate ice cream, he brought her back with that question. After all, to his knowledge, she came up to the balcony to think.

“Nothing.”

He gave her a flat look. “Really.”

God, why did he have to be so observant? 

“What’s on _your_ mind?”

Chat Noir looked up. “Right now...Ladybug.”

Marinette tensed. They were now entering dangerous waters. “Elaborate.” 

“I know this might upset you, me bad-mouthing the ‘Savior of Paris.’” He waved his arms dramatically. “But...UGH! I really can’t stand her. I’m sorry, but she’s just too perfect sometimes; superhero, kind, generous, pure-heart, bla bla bla. She’s so self-righteous and valiant, and that’s great and all, but whenever I see her, I just- I don’t know!” 

She watched him carefully, not moving.

“I can’t even _describe_ why I hate her. Maybe it’s just a side effect from all that fighting, or maybe some of Le Papillon’s disgust rubbed off on me, but now I can’t handle being in the same _arrondissement_ as her.” He gripped the railing tight, like he was preparing to vault over and flee. “Everyone just _loves_ her. And I guess I could see why; like she’s the perfect person. Justice and honor and _whatever_. Over-the-top. But, I don’t know. I don’t buy it. I know she’s not faking it, but that’s what makes her frustrating, you know?”

Marinette wasn’t breathing.

“Okay, sorry. I don’t know what I’m saying.” 

_Lungs. Air. The process of turning oxygen molecules into red blood cells. Inhale. Exhale._

“Mari, you okay?”

Ugh, _why_ did he have to call her _Mari?_

“Fine. Just fine.” She wheezed. “Um, it’s just, I never thought about Ladybug that way.”

He snorted. “Of course you don’t.”

Marinette shot him a withering look and the bitter expression immediately melted off his face.

“Sorry, sorry.” 

She clenched her fists. _Why_ did he keep _apologizing?_

“Really, I won’t talk about her again, if it upsets you.”

He sounded so considerate. It pissed her off.

Marinette rose from the chair. Without a word, she walked over to the trapdoor, opened it, and climbed down into her room before slamming it shut.

 

**=0=**

 

Chat messed up, he knew he did. 

He had said something wrong, so utterly offensive and wrong that he’d made _Marinette_ mad. Despite their initial meetings, he figured her to be really nice, actually. Patient, open-minded, whatever. Especially since she dealt with staying up late to talk to him, and especially with how annoying he got once he started revealing his other qualities.

How was he supposed to fix this?

Chat replayed every word ( _every word_ ) he had said, trying to come up with different ways they could have been interpreted, figuring out how he could have misdirected his frustration on someone other than Ladybug, anything that could have possibly made her mad.

He came up with many answers, but no solutions.

Chat was so desperate that he tried talking to _Plagg._

“Maybe she was hungry.”

No success.

Chat needed to lay off of her for a while. Maybe Marinette was just getting irritated with all of his visits. It’d be best for both of them if he just let her cool down.

Of course, though, the _one_ night he didn’t visit Marinette, he saw Ladybug.

He looked at her from across another building. When she finally saw him, Ladybug started forward, stopping only at the gap separating their two buildings. His face twisted. “Oh look, a pest.” 

Ladybug narrowed her eyes, no games tonight. “What are you doing?”

“Just going for a walk.”

“Over rooftops.”

“Yep, just a nice peaceful stroll through the city.” 

The sky was dark, vacant of stars. It was a good kind of night for him to go on the rooftops in his all black suit and not be seen. Le Papillon would assume he was out hunting Ladybug, Ladybug would be out hunting akumas, and the civilians would feel safe knowing Ladybug was out. The perfect time to be alone.

“It won’t be _peaceful_ if you cause any trouble.”

Chat rolled his eyes. “ _Obviously._ I’m not going to cause trouble, bugbutt, because I don’t want to deal with _you_ right now.”

Ladybug’s grip tightened on her yoyo. “Well, you’re going to _have_ to deal with me anytime you show your face _anywhere!_ I will _not_ let you spread terror in the streets of Paris!”

“Do you even know what you sound like half the time?”

“Like what?” Ladybug’s glare intensified. “Like a self-righteous, over-the-top superhero?”

He blanched. “What?”

“I’m not repeating myself, kitty.” 

Ladybug jumped across the building gap.

 _Oh my god._ Fear shot through him.

Chat barely had time to lift his baton before the yoyo started to wrap around his legs. He extended his baton to the floor and bent the yoyo string around the metal staff, pulling and looping the strand around the end. He tugged forward sharply, letting Ladybug falter in the air.

As she scrambled to her feet, Chat hopped backwards. The string loosened and started to fall down his legs, but Ladybug pulled sharply on her yoyo, sending him on his back.

Ladybug was upon him already. Chat tried to do some sort of awkward crabwalk with three limbs, but she wrenched the baton out of his hands and slammed it into her stomach. He felt his dinner rising in his throat.

She took his staff and swung it at his cheek so hard, he felt his teeth rattle. Chat spit to the side. Ladybug aimed it one more time, directly at his head.

 _Oh god._ Chat kicked his legs back over his face, intercepting the baton. He bent his knees around the staff, twisted, and freed it from her grip, tossing it behind them. Chat kicked up onto his legs and frantically ripped the string off his legs.

“LUCKY CHARM!” 

_No way._

Chat ran across the roof, trying to get as far away as possible from Ladybug.  
“Oh no you don’t.”

Something twined around his leg, nerve-endings shivers up his body. _God,_ he hated that yoyo. Chat was back on his face and clawing at the concrete before he knew what hit him.

Something warm and sweet entered his nose. He recognized the smell.

“I heard you liked croissants!” 

Something wrapped in a red and black spotted foil was lobbed at his face. The heat shocked him into stillness, feeling the nerves around his eyes scramble underneath his skin. Then, he felt the string wrapped around his leg pulled taut, and suddenly the ground fell away from him. 

He grabbed at the croissant and pulled it away from his eyes. When he could finally see again, Chat found himself looking down a six storey building. Strangely enough, the sweet scent of the croissant slightly soothed the terror that was pulsing in the back of his head.

From all the times he had watched Ladybug fight, Chat had formed only one, truly solid opinion about her: Ladybug’s Lucky Charms were weird.

Suddenly, he started swinging.

 _Oh my god._ He was going to be sick. _Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god._

Out of pure desperation, he lifted a hand.

“CATACLYSM!” 

Black energy surrounded his hand and transferred as he touched the string of Ladybug’s yoyo. He dropped down into a crouch on the nearest ledge when it disintegrated. 

“My yoyo…”

Croissant tucked under and arm, Chat started to scale the building, going as fast as he could so he couldn’t be pushed off. He needed to get his baton, and needed to run as fast as he could before the transformation wore off.

_Beep beep._

He waited a second, then lunged over the top of the building, reaching for his baton. Wasted effort, though. Ladybug was too caught up in her broken yoyo.

Chat watched her for a second. All that was left of the yoyo was the plastic part. Suddenly, she looked up, anger flashing in her eyes. She chucked the yoyo at his head.

Chat dropped to the ground and then rose back to his feet.

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” He screamed.

Ladybug was panting, which was weird. She usually didn’t get so worn out in their fights.

Chat stopped, and then started to back up. “You’re insane.”

She wasn’t looking at him anymore. She glanced at the hand that had just thrown away her yoyo a moment ago.

He took one last look at her before he turned around to run.

“I’m not the one who’s insane, Chat Noir.”

He froze.

“I’m not the deranged teenager who fights for a man who is clearly unhinged, who fights for a man that feeds on the despair of others, just so he can reach some mysterious, _selfish_ goal.”

Chat turned around slowly. “You don’t know why he’s doing this.”

“No, I don’t. And I don’t-”

“You don’t know why _I’m_ doing this!”

“AND I DON’T CARE!” Her head snapped up to face him. “I DON’T CARE WHY YOU WANT TO HURT PARIS! I DON’T CARE IF YOU THINK I’M INSANE! I DON’T CARE WHY YOU WANT MY MIRACULOUS-”

“If you just gave us your Miraculous-”

“AND LEAVE PARIS UNPROTECTED?!”

“WE WOULD STOP FIGHTING WITH YOU-”

“BECAUSE YOU’D HAVE ANOTHER POWERFUL MIRACULOUS THAT YOU CAN DO WHO KNOWS WHAT WITH-”

“WHAT DO YOU KNOW? YOU’RE JUST A KID!”

_“SO ARE YOU!”_

His heart got caught in his throat. “No, I’m not.”

“Yeah, _you are._ ”

“You don’t know how old I am, Ladybutt.” She _couldn’t_ know.

Her lips were pressed tightly together as she glowered at him, but he thought he could see a bit of panic swimming at the surface of her eyes.

“Give me the croissant, kitty.”

Chat lobbed it at her head. She caught it effortlessly.

A steady, tense silence settled over them, both too afraid of what they might say. Chat was the first to step back, and Ladybug made no move to stop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> Lul, there's an error. I just realized "Miraculous" is supposed to be capitalized. I'm going to be doing that from now on, and I might or might not go back to earlier chapters to fix it. I already fixed the description tho.  
> Sorry I didn't post yesterday, I was sort of stuck on this chapter. But I figured some stuff out and got the chapter where I wanted it to be. I probably won't be able to post everyday. The earlier chapters are easier because there's exposition and a lot of information/ground work you need to lay out, lots of content to choose from. I still have some ideas for later chapters though, I have yet to enter writer's block *sweats*  
> Once summer is over, I will try to post at least once a month, because I have school and stuff, but I don't want to go on an unannounced hiatus. So, I'll do my best.  
> Anyway, I wanted to mention something I forgot to say in the last chapter. Did you notice that I didn't use Marinette's name until she said it at the end? No? Yes? Maybe? Haha, I try.  
> And no offense to weebs. I myself am somewhat of a weeb.  
> One final thing: an arrondissement is like a district and Paris is divided into a lot of those.  
> Ooh! Also, as of today, I've officially survived another year of natural selection :)
> 
> As always, thank you for reading. Thank you for giving my fic a chance :)


	5. A Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rose is involved somewhere

“Oh my god, Plagg.”

“Kid, calm down.” 

“No, Plagg, I think she was _there_ when I was talking to Marinette.”

The small black kwami paid him no heed as he quickly worked his way through another piece of camembert. “So?” He finally said around a mouthful of cheese. 

“So?!” His arch nemesis just _happened_ to be spying on him and his only possible friend, at the only possible time he revealed a lot (or just _anything_ ) about himself, and his innermost thoughts and secrets? (Okay, maybe not _that_ innermost, yet.) That was like an invasion of privacy! What a creep. 

He had a horrible thought. What if Ladybug tried to ward off Mari of him? He could see it now, Ladybug would approach Marinette, warn her about how crooked and evil Chat Noir was, and then Marinette would definitely heed Ladybug’s advice (because Ladybug was Ladybug and who wouldn't listen to her advice?) and he would lose his only conversational partner. The thought made him feel like he was being submerged in the Seine.

Adrien struggled to put it into words.

“ _Crap_. Do you think she knows I’m allergic to feathers?”

Plagg shrugged.

“And Mari’s still mad at me.” He moaned. “I’m a mess. What do I do?”

“Do what you always do. Hide from Ladybug and bow to Marinette until she likes you again.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Are you implying something?”

Plagg shrugged again.

He ran a hand through his hair. “I guess you’re right. I _do_ have to do something.” He glanced out the window. “Do you think she’s still out there?”

“Probably not, the transformation’s worn off by now.”

Yeah, but she probably could have transformed again. Her kwami was probably all nice and recharged so Ladybug could kick his ass for breaking her yoyo. (He realized later that _maybe_ he shouldn’t have chucked the Lucky Charm back at her head, no matter how good it felt to throw things at her.)

“Oh my gooo-” His hands pulled down on his face. He hated being so scared of Ladybug. “I have to talk to her.”

Plagg shrugged. “Then go talk to her. But in a minute, though, I want to savor the cam-”

“Plagg, transform me!”

After a few seconds, Chat Noir looked around. Spotting a pair of scissors on a nearby table, he snatched them up and jumped out the nearest window, making for the nearest balcony with floral decorations.

 

**=0=**

 

“Tikki, he broke my yoyo!”

“To be fair, you were dangling him off the side of a building.”

“He used Cataclysm!”

“You used Lucky Charm.” Tikki floated up to land on Marinette’s head. “Besides, he did give you back the croissant, and that fixed your yoyo, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, he gave it back because he’s an idiot.” Marinette paced around her room, too afraid to go back on the balcony on the off chance she might see him again.

“There wasn’t any significant damage, so what’s the problem?”

She plopped down heavily into a chair. “These fights are getting worse. I totally revealed that I knew stuff about him. And I _still_ don’t know why he wants my Miraculous.”

Tikki patted her hair reassuringly. “It’ll be alright, Marinette. Just be careful next time. Besides, you _could_ always just _ask_ why-”

She tried to look up. “Tikki, please.” 

“I’m just saying. You two have been talking a lot and it wouldn’t seem _too_ out of place to ask-”

_THUMP!_

Marinette tensed. 

“Marinette?” A muffled voice. “Mari, can we talk?”

“Go.” Tikki urged. “You could ask him now.”

She hesitated, but finally decided to go up when Chat Noir started to pace across her ceiling. She climbed up to the loft that held her bed, then crawled out onto the balcony. 

Chat Noir was leaning against the railing, head turned to the side, avoiding her gaze. His hands were tucked behind him (like he was reaching for his baton). He looked as nervous as he had the first night they’d met. 

The second her whole body was through the trapdoor, his head shot up. “Hi.”

Marinette felt her throat closing up. “Hi.” 

“I'm glad I caught you awake. Um,” he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Look, I’m really sorry about yesterday.” 

“What do you have to be sorry about?”

“Um, trash-talking Ladybug. You seemed really mad, so I wasn’t planning on visiting you today.”

She crossed her arms, grinding her teeth together. “Maybe you should have followed your plan.” 

Chat Noir pressed his lips together.

Marinette considered him. Finally, she sighed. “What made you change your mind?” There, that sounded civil enough.

He looked away again. “Just, um, I was thinking it wasn’t a good idea to leave it for a long time. And I couldn’t really stop thinking about you being angry and I felt really bad about it, so I thought apologizing could help me clear my conscience a little.”

“Mm hmm.” She wondered if somewhere deep down, she should feel offended that she was just a device to clear his guilty conscience.

A loud clang in the distance made him jump.

“Afraid of the wind, _chaton?_ ”

Chat Noir shook his head quickly. “Nah, just, um-” He swallowed. “Nothing.”

She took note of how his eyes darted everywhere. He shifted his weight, revealing his baton and one hand clenched around it.

“Expecting someone?”

He fidgeted. “Look, I should go soon. But, um, before I do-” His other hand came out from behind his back. “I wanted to give you this. To say sorry.”

There was a rose in his hand. A rose was being offered to her. A rose with petals as vibrant red as Ladybug’s suit and green stem bare of thorns.

Marinette met his eyes, mouth hanging open in shock.

Chat Noir laughed nervously. “Yeah, I know, it’s kind of cheesy. I just- I don’t know, I was hoping you would like it?”

She tentatively reached out and grabbed it by the stem, fingers brushing against gloved, leather fingers. “Um, thanks.” She couldn’t look at him anymore.

“You’re blushing.” She could hear the grin in his voice. “Am I flustering you?”

“No!” Her head snapped up. “No! Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

Chat Noir burst out laughing. “Isn’t it already three in the morning? That’s a bit late for you.”

“Your point?”

“Can’t stop thinking about someone?”

Marinette jabbed the stem of the rose at him. “Chat Noir…”

He chuckled, mimicking her. “Marinette…”

_Do it._ A voice (most likely Tikki) at the back of her mind whispered. _Ask him now._

“I have a question…” 

“Shoot.” He watched her, worry starting to fill his features again.

“It’s...it’s kind of a weird question.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t judge.” 

“Um,” she was surprised at how much she really didn’t want to ruin the moment. “I was wondering…” _Ask._ “Are your gloves thick enough to protect your hands when you dethorn roses?”

He shot her an amused look, then looked up, thinking. “Well, I think? I kind of _just_ cut off the thorns right before I came-” He held up the scissors that had been dangling behind him on his belt. “-so, maybe? I’d have to detransform to see if I have any cuts or anything.”

“Huh.” Marinette pondered that for a second. “Does that mean you _just_ got the rose, too?”

Chat Noir nodded.

“All the flower shops are closed.”

He grinned.

“Oh my gosh.” She held her face in her hands. “I’ve just been given a stolen object.” 

“Hey, hey, don’t worry.” Chat Noir leaned over to pat her shoulder. “Roses grow back.”

Her head shot up. “You still stole it!”

He took a step back before Marinette could shove him, then he started laughing again.

“You know, maybe you wouldn’t be seen as such a villain if you didn’t shoplift, too.”

“I'll let you know that I wasn't shoplifting, I merely took a flower from an unassuming flower box on an apartment balcony.”

She glowered. “Stealing is still pretty villainous.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Stealing is hardly villainous. It’s more of a lowly, petty crime. More criminal than villainous, in my opinion.”

“Chat Noir…”

“Marinette…”

More clanging cut off their banter. Marinette knew it was just nightly city noises, but they put Chat Noir on edge. He started backward toward the railing.

“Leaving already?” Marinette said, flatly.

Chat Noir grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. “Until next time, my lady.”

Long after he had jumped off her balcony, Marinette was still standing there, stunned. 

Tikki flew out from the open trapdoor. “That went well, don’t you think?”

The coy smile on her kwami’s face made her stomach turn. “No. I didn’t find out why he wanted my Miraculous.” 

She unclenched her hand from the rose, leaving it on the deck chair, and dropped back into her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> This time around, I had two beta readers. One was my friend who isn't even part of the fandom, but she gave some feedback. The other is a part of the ML fandom and gave me some good feedback on characters and what seemed awkward. I want to thank them both for reading (even though they probably won't see this entire fic, mwahaha)!
> 
> I'm thinking I write too much in these end notes, so I'm keeping this one short.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading, and thank you for giving this fic a chance :)


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